This application claims the priority of German Application No. 102 36 352, filed Aug. 8, 2002, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention is based on an oil filler device on an internal-combustion engine. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to an oil filler device on an internal-combustion engine, with a filler neck having an oil filler opening and with a closing lid for closing the filler opening, the closing lid comprising a cup-shaped closing cap which has a bottom and a wall, a sealing device and a centering element interacting with a filler neck, said closing lid being equipped in the center on the bottom with a fastening section constructed as a flange, which fastening section reaches through the centering element and the centering element being fastened on the fastening section.
From European Patent Document EP 413 896 A1 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,115), a type-forming oil filler device is known which has a filler neck with a filler opening and a closing lid closing the filler opening, which closing lid has a cup-shaped closing cap with a bottom and a surrounding wall. A fastening section originates in the center at the bottom on the interior side of the cap, which fastening section reaches through a centering element which is held by means of a locking on the fastening section. A sealing device is arranged on the centering element and interacts with the mouth edge surrounding the filler opening. The centering element rests on the fastening section only in the area of its locking and, in addition, only a line contact exits between the interior side of the filler neck and the centering element. As a result, during the operation of the internal-combustion engine, oil may arrive in larger quantities between the centering element and the interior side of the closing cap.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oil filler device on an internal-combustion engine, in the case of which the closing lid can be manipulated in an easy and clean manner.
This object is achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention by means of an oil filler device on an internal-combustion engine, with a filler neck having an oil filler opening and with a closing lid for closing the filler opening, the closing lid comprising a cup-shaped closing cap which has a bottom and a wall, a sealing device, and a centering element interacting with a filler neck, said closing lid being equipped in the center on the bottom with a fastening section constructed as a flange, which fastening section reaches through the centering element and the centering element being fastened on the fastening section, wherein for the fastening of the centering element on the fastening section, a holding ring is fitted onto the fastening section, wherein the holding ring, on its ring opening, has radially inwardly projecting fastening lugs which extend diagonally with respect to the bottom and are applied to the fastening section, wherein a drip nose extending away from the bottom is constructed on the centering element, and wherein the centering element rests by means of its interior circumferential surface flatly against the fastening section and, by means of its exterior circumferential surface, rests flatly against the interior side of the neck.
Additional features of preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
Important advantages achieved by means of the invention are that, during the operation of the internal-combustion engine, oil which has reached the interior side of the closing cap can drip by way of the surrounding drip nose back into the filler neck. As a result of the diagonally extending fastening lugs on the holding ring, the oil does not adhere there but can flow back into the filler neck. Thus, no oil can drip off when the closing lid is removed from the oil filler opening, whereby surrounding parts on the internal-combustion engine, particularly the cylinder head cover, remain unsoiled. In some cases, cylinder head covers or other engine parts or the closing lid itself, which were soiled in this manner, were thought to be leaky although they were in fact tight but oil had dripped onto the internal-combustion engine during the removal of a known closing lid. The closing lid according to the invention advantageously avoids this faulty conclusion. Furthermore, the user of the motor vehicle is protected from oil when refilling because no oil can collect on the lid according to the invention. A penetration of oil is largely prevented as a result of the flat contact of the centering element on the interior side of the neck as well as on the fastening section.
A particularly cost-effective embodiment of the closing lid is achieved wherein the holding ring is constructed in one piece as a sheet metal stamped bent component.
The invention will be explained in detail in the following by means of an embodiment with reference to the drawing.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.